Competition for electrons between reductive dechlorination and denitrification

It is common that 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) coexists with nitrate or nitrite in industrial wastewaters. In this work, simultaneous reductive dechlorination of TCP and denitrification of nitrate or nitrite competed for electron donor, which led to their mutual inhibition. All inhibitions could be relieved to a certain degree by augmenting an organic electron donor, but the impact of the added electron donor was strongest for TCP. For simultaneous reduction of TCP together with nitrate, TCP’s removal rate value increased 75% and 150%, respectively, when added glucose was increased from 0.4 mmol?L^–1 to 0.5 mmol?L^–1 and to 0.76 mmol?L^–1. For comparison, the removal rate for nitrate increased by only 25% and 114% for the same added glucose. The relationship between their initial biodegradation rates versus their initial concentrations could be represented well with the Monod model, which quantified their half-maximum-rate concentration (K _S value), and K _S values for TCP, nitrate, and nitrite were larger with simultaneous reduction than independent reduction. The increases in K _S are further evidence that competition for the electron donor led to mutual inhibition. For bioremediation of wastewater containing TCP and oxidized nitrogen, both reduction reactions should proceed more rapidly if the oxidized nitrogen is nitrite instead of nitrate and if readily biodegradable electron acceptor is augmented.

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Environmental pollutants and type 2 diabetes: a review of human studies

The incidence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent decades and become one of the leading health problems worldwide. Lifestyle and dietary changes alone cannot account for the dramatic rise of diabetes, while an increasing number of publications have reported the possible relationships between exposure to environmental pollutants and risk of diabetes. In the present review, our objective was to summarize the human studies on environmental pollutants, which includes persistent organic pollutants, pesticides (not on the Stockholm Convention list), bisphenol A, and phthalates, and the risk of diabetes. Currently published results suggest a positive relationship between certain persistent organic pollutants (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, hexachlorobenzene, and polychlorinated biphenyls) and bisphenol A exposure and risk of diabetes. For pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and phthalates, there are insufficient studies to reach conclusions and therefore more studies, especially prospective studies, are needed along with in vivo and in vitro studies to understand the underlying mechanisms.     

禾草灵对水稻生长和典型土壤酶活性的影响

禾草灵是一种广泛使用的除草剂,在土壤中大量残留,对非靶标生物产生危害。为探究除草剂对环境生物的毒性作用,本研究模拟水稻自然生长的环境,评估禾草灵对水稻及土壤微生物的影响。研究结果表明,低浓度禾草灵(200 μg L^-1)处理4 d对土壤微生物量没有显著影响(P>0.05);8 d时,水稻生长没有明显变化,但土壤微生物量较对照组显著升高(P<0.05)。高浓度禾草灵(1 000 μg L^-1)处理4天后,土壤脲酶、酸性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶的活性显著下降(P<0.05),下降幅度分别为8.9%,16.6%和10.2%;处理8 d后,水稻幼苗鲜重显著降低(P>0.05),叶绿素a和叶绿素b含量分别下降了13.5%和13.3%。本研究证实高浓度的禾草灵残留会对植物和土壤微生物产生不良的影响。     

Impairments of cadmium on vitellogenin accumulation in the hepatopancreas of freshwater crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sinopotamon henanense</Emphasis>

During ovary maturation of crabs, vitellogenin (Vg), a precursor molecule of vitellin (Vn) needed for embryogenesis, can be produced in large quantities in the hepatopancreas and then transported to the ovary by the hemolymph. In the present study, effects of Cd on Vg accumulation in the hepatopancreas and Vg transportation of the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense were investigated. We also studied the impacts of Cd on the mRNA expression of genes involved in energy metabolism, protein metabolism, and metallothionein (MT) and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. After Cd treatment, the Vg concentration and the Vg mRNA expression in the hepatopancreas were downregulated. Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed that the Vg level in the hepatopancreas correlated positively with those of the ovary and hemolymph (correlation coefficients 0.844 and 0.749, respectively), suggesting that the Vg transport from the hepatopancreas to the ovary can be impaired by Cd. The levels of carbohydrate and protein in the hepatopancreas of Cd-exposed crabs were decreased, and an inhibited protein metabolism was also observed. Energy production related isocitrate dehydrogenase and cytochrome C oxidase mRNA expressions, and MT and GSH synthesis increased after 10 days of Cd treatment and decreased after 20 days. Cd also caused a time-dependent upregulation of malondialdehyde. Our findings showed that Cd decreased Vg accumulation in the hepatopancreas due to partially excessive energy consumption and an activated defense system in the hepatopancreas, suggesting a possible regulatory mechanism in S. henanense which is the competitive advantage of energy reserves in metabolic Cd stress responses over the high-energy flux during vitellogenesis to ensure a continuous supply of metabolic energy. Moreover, the damage of Vg accumulation in the hepatopancreas caused by Cd could lead to an insufficient accumulation of Vn in the ovary and cause a retardation of oocyte development.     

Fate of antimicrobial resistance genes in response to application of poultry and swine manure in simulated manure-soil microcosms and manure-pond microcosms

This study aimed to determine the occurrence, abundance, and fate of nine important antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) (sul1, sul2, tetB, tetM, ermB, ermF, fexA, cfr, and Intl1) in the simulated soil and pond microcosms following poultry and swine manure application. Absolute quantitative PCR method was used to determine the gene copies. The results were modeled as a logarithmic regression (N?=?mlnt?+?b) to explore the fate of target genes. Genes sul1, Intl1, sul2, and tetM had the highest abundance following the application of the two manure types. The logarithmic regression model fitted the results well (R ² values up to 0.99). The reduction rate of all genes (except for the genes fexA and cfr) in manure-pond microcosms was faster than those in manure-soil microcosms. Importantly, sul1, intl1, sul2, and tetM had the lowest reduction rates in all the samples and the low reduction rates of tetM was the first time to be reported. These results indicated that ARG management should focus on using technologies for the ARG elimination before the manure applications rather than waiting for subsequent attenuation in soil or water, particularly the ARGs (such as sul1, intl1, sul2, and tetM investigated in this study) that had high abundance and low reduction rate in the soil and water after application of manure.     

Spatial variation and toxicity assessment for heavy metals in sediments of intertidal zone in a typical subtropical estuary (Min River) of China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sediment samples were collected in five marshes (C1, Phragmites australis marsh; C2, P. australis and Cyperus malaccensis marsh; C3, C. malaccensis...     

Hexabromocyclododecanes in surface sediments and a sediment core from Rivers and Harbor in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin

In the present study, hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were investigated in the sediment from Haihe River (HR), Dagu Dainage Canal (DDC) and Tianjin Harbor (TH) at Bohai Bay using a total of 51 samples of surface sediments and a sediment core collected from May to September in 2010, and its diastereomer- and enantiomer-specific profiles were analyzed. The concentration of total HBCDs were generally high, with mean value and ranges of 31.0 and 1.35–634 ng g^?1 dw, respectively. The contamination followed the order of TH > DDC > HR. Higher levels (up to 634 ng g^?1 dw) occurred in the lower reach of HR and DDC located in an industrial area of Tianjin. This is the first time to report so high concentration of HBCDs in sediment in Southeast Asia. The γ-diastereomer dominated in most samples (44 out of 51), and this is in agreement with the diastereomer distribution pattern in industrial products, while α-HBCD was the dominant diastereomer in the other seven samples. However, only few samples exhibited γ-diastereomer ratio similar to that (75–89%) in technical products, indicating the inter-transformation and variable degradation of the different isomers. The high ratio of γ-diastereomer could be used as an indicator for fresh contamination input. Enantiomeric factors (EFs) of HBCD isomers in most of the samples were statistically different from technical products (p < 0.05), showing a trend of more easily enrichment of the (?)-HBCD-enantiomer compared to the (+)-HBCD-enantiomer. The δ- and ε-diastereomers were frequently detected but at low level. The HBCDs in the sediment core showed several peaks, and the greatest value occurred in 2005, when a plastic manufacture plant using HBCD was set up nearby.     

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment plants in China

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) along with methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) have been frequently identified as natural compounds in marine environment and also assumed as metabolites of PBDEs. In the present study, nine OH-PBDE, nine MeO-PBDE and 10 PBDE congeners were studied in the sewage sludge collected from 36 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in 27 cities of China. The results suggest that OH-PBDEs and PBDEs are ubiquitous in sewage sludge in China, however, methoxylated PBDEs were not detectable. Composition profiles of detected OH-PBDE congeners were different depending on the sampling location. ΣOH-PBDEs in WWTPs sludge ranged from 0.04 to 2.24 ng g^?1 dry weight (mean: 0.35 ng g^?1 dry weight). The total amount of the two most prominent congeners (6-OH-BDE-47 + 2′-OH-BDE-68) accounted for about 53.3–100% of the sum of all six identified congeners. A significant linear relationship was found between 6-OH-BDE-47 and 2′-OH-BDE-68. A distinct geographical distribution of ΣOH-PBDEs was observed with greater concentrations of OH-PBDEs at coastal areas than inland regions in China.     

两种AHLs信号分子对生物膜法养殖污水处理条件下水体内环境的影响

为提高生物膜法处理养殖污水的效果,对不同信号分子条件下的生物膜处理情况进行研究。在室内循环水养殖系统中,设定3个实验组和1个对照组,分别添加乙醇、C6-HSL、N-3-oxo-C8-HSL和蒸馏水,并在模拟过程中取样分析。实验结果表明,3个实验组附着基上的生物量明显多于对照组,尤其是添加N-3-oxo-C8-HSL组产生的生物量约为对照组的6倍;经添加C6-HSL和N-3-oxo-C8-HSL处理的养殖水体中,亚硝酸盐最终浓度比对照组低28.6%,但无机磷浓度稍高。数据因子分析结果表明,实验过程中(9～27 d),添加AHLs信号因子C6-HSL和N-3-oxo-C8-HSL两组养殖水体内环境的总体得分较高,说明养殖水体的内环境处于较好状态。     

响应面法优化聚丙烯酸/腐殖酸/累托石吸附剂的制备条件

以累托石、丙烯酸及腐殖酸为原料制备出能同时吸附重金属和多环芳烃的吸附剂聚丙烯酸/腐殖酸/累托石,采用响应面试验设计法优化吸附剂的制备条件。利用Design Expert软件,建立了预测吸附剂对Cd2+、菲吸附量的二次回归模型,对回归模型进行了方差分析,并确定了吸附剂的最佳制备条件。结果表明,二次回归模型能较好地模拟Cd2+、菲的吸附量与影响因子丙烯酸中和度、引发剂量和交联剂量之间的关系。各因子对Cd2+吸附量的影响次序为:交联剂量>引发剂量>丙烯酸中和度;对菲吸附量的影响次序为引发剂量>交联剂量>丙烯酸中和度。吸附剂的最佳制备条件为:累托石、丙烯酸和腐殖酸三者的质量比为65∶30∶5,丙烯酸中和度、引发剂量和交联剂量分别为75.16%、2.57%和0.44%。在此优化条件下制备的吸附剂对Cd2+和菲的吸附量分别为170.19 mg/g和7.36 mg/g。